Health
Inactive Bird Flu Virus Found in 17% of US Dairy Foods in Study
- Earlier survey found inactive virus in 20% of dairy samples
- No viable virus was detected in any of the 167 samples tested
It was the second FDA survey, after the first in April found inactive viral particles in one fifth of sampled dairy products.
Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg
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One-in-six dairy products in US retail stores contained signs of inactive bird flu virus this summer, regulators said, slightly lower than the numbers seen in a different survey when the pathogen was first found in the nation’s dairy herds.
None of the 167 samples, which included milk, ice cream, hard cheese, butter, cream cheese and aged raw milk cheese, contained viable H5N1 bird flu virus, the US Food and Drug Administration said. The results show pasteurized dairy remains safe to consume.